World News - part 11

US Department of Defense chooses Google’s Android OS to power military communications device

New army OS platform expected to boost developer interest, number of apps in Android Market

Release date planned for July 2011

Google’s Android platform has been chosen as the operating system for the US Army’s new handheld military communications device, the US Army announced on its official blog.

Android OS is increasing in popularity around the world, with surveys in the United Kingdom indicating that devices powered by Google’s operating system have unseated the behemoth of the smartphone world - the Apple iPhone. The same has been observed in the United States, and not just in the mobile consumer industry, it would seem.

Over 100% of new online banking users in China, Kenya and Brazil use mobile banking technology

25% of online banking users in China use mobile banking apps, compared to 10% in 2010

Sub-Saharan Africa interest in mobile banking logged at 63%

Use of mobile wallets growing faster in emerging markets than industrialized

The use of mobile financial applications has risen globally within the last year due to an increase in technology, allowing consumers to bank while on the go.

A recent study from TNS Mobile Life shows that more than 100% of new online banking users in China, Kenya and Brazil began to use mobile apps rather than typical customer service options in the last year.

Site works with contributors to gather information from around the world; interviews conducted via Skype

News networks and media increasingly attempt to integrate social media in their television programs

Al Jazeera’s English news service has launched The Stream, a television show and online community that tells stories driven by social media.

On the Al Jazeera English website, it says the show “taps into the extraordinary potential of social media to disseminate news. The Stream is an aggregator of online sources and discussions, seeking out unheard voices, new perspectives from people on the ground and untold angles related to the most compelling stories of the day.”

Heavy beer drinkers with certain genetic variants may be a shocking 700% more likely to develop gastric cancer

Gastric cancer treatment market could hit $2 billion in 2017 for a growth rate of 133%

Targeted therapies could make up more than 60% of growth by 2017

Heavy beer drinkers may have an increased risk of gastric cancer, especially if they possess a certain genetic variant, new reports suggest.

The variants that appear to significantly increase gastric cancer risk are known as rs283411 and rs1230025. Statistics showed that people with the rs230025 variant who were heavy beer drinkers, consuming two or three beers per day for many years, increased their risk of gastric cancer by 30%.

Nearly 8 million people suffer from Alzheimer’s across 7 major world markets

Research continues to understand disease pathology and to find new treatments

Treating vascular conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a report from the American Academy of Neurology.

With financial support from the Chinese Science and Technology Committee of Chongqing, researchers studied 837 people with signs of mild memory impairment that have been known to develop into Alzheimer’s. The participants underwent a series of physical and medial examinations including blood tests, blood pressure readings and memory exercises.

Rejected plan involved repayment from 2016-2046 with 3.3% interest to the UK and 3% to the Netherlands

The United Kingdom and the Netherlands are preparing a lawsuit against Iceland over the repayment of €4 billion ($5 billion) lost in the country's 2008 banking collapse. The money was lost when Icesave bank collapsed, wiping out the deposits of some 340,000 UK and Dutch citizens.

In a referendum held on April 9, Iceland voted against a repayment plan put forward by the UK and Dutch governments. Earlier in the week, the deal had been approved by Iceland's parliament, who also narrowly voted against putting the issue to a referendum.

Calgary produces more smog per person than New York City. With production at nearly 18 tons of carbon dioxide per capita, Calgary ranked as the 5th highest city in the world for emission generation, according to a recent study by the United Nations (UN).

The report ranked cities using new guidelines that evaluate the level of carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming. The world’s four leading emitters above Calgary were Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Denver, Washington (D.C.) and Minneapolis in the United States.

China has 13 operational nuclear power reactors; 25 under construction

China to grow nuclear capacity by ten-fold, reaching 400 GWe by 2050

China ranked 1st for global energy consumption in 2010

The Japanese nuclear crisis has taught China an important lesson about safety, prompting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to meet with the nation’s State Council to stress that strict security measures must be integrated in its ambitious nuclear power development plans.

China currently has 13 operational nuclear power reactors with 25 more under construction, according to the World Nuclear Association. Additional reactors are scheduled for construction to provide a ten-fold boost to nuclear capacity, reaching at least 80 GWe by 2020, 200 GWe by 2030 and 400 GWe by 2050.

Emerging nuclear power market estimated to be worth over $160 billion from 2010-2030

Today European Union leaders encouraged worldwide nuclear plant stress testing and agreed to launch a tough safety review of their 143 reactors in 14 EU countries. France – one of the world’s most nuclear-reliant nations with 58 reactors – promised to close any plant that did not successfully pass the test.

This initiative comes amid the nuclear crisis in Japan, which has the future of nuclear hanging in the balance as world leaders scramble to calm citizens and reassure investors with strict new security guidelines.